A Change of Season

The things hardest to bear are sweetest to remember.
--Lucius Annaeus Seneca



This past week I have watched the world around me change. I've sat in the cool Autumn air and participated in something special. The beauty of changing leaves. Leaves fluttering through the air, canvasing the sky. All is quiet. I have had too much time to think, my mind racing and wandering at every turn. So amidst this confusion and beauty I stand as the world spins around me. I stand before you a man, a dreamer, a hopeful romantic.

Sometimes during the beauty and awe of a situation, we forget the underlying truths, that as wondrous as these now falling leaves are, they are falling. Once the leaves have given their beauty to the world, and the trees lay empty the leaves remain on the ground, forgotten until the next chapter. It's a reminder of frailty, of how quickly we can lose something that moments before we took for granted. I love the sound of falling leaves. I love the colors. But all is growing cold now, winter is fast approaching and the world is receding into its shell, preparing for the hard times ahead.

I will stand and face the cold, no jacket on my back, or shoes on my feet. I have been doing my best to embrace this change of season, I have watched the leaves around me fall. I Have tried to gather them together into a pile, but each day there are more to clean up. Eventually, there will be no more leaves to rake, no more leaves to fall, and we will be left with barren trees and frosted Earth. I'm not sure if I yet welcome that eventuality for as long as there are leaves to rake, Autumn is not over.

I am not yet prepared for winter, but will do my best to shoulder the cold.


The pine stays green in winter... wisdom in hardship.
--Norman Douglas



Be well unto others, and yourselves.

JD

Quote

Watch your thoughts, they become your words. Watch your words they become your actions. Watch your actions they become your habits. Watch your habits they become your character. Watch your character it becomes your destiny. -

Lao Tze

Yeh

Dragonfly out in the sun you know what I mean, don't you know
Butterflies all havin' fun you know what I mean
Sleep in peace when the day is done, that's what I mean
And this old world is a new world
And a bold world
For me

You know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life



Not really a quality post but, yeh.

Be well Unto others, and yourselves

JD

Our Future

-------Things are going to slide, slide in all directions-------
--------------------Won't be nothing--------------------
-------------------------------------Nothing you can measure anymore-------------------------------------
--------------The blizzard, the blizzard of the world--------------
------has crossed the threshold------
--------------------------and it has overturned--------------------------
-----------------------------------the order of the soul-----------------------------------
-----------------------When they said REPENT,-----------------------

I wonder what they meant?

Leonard Cohen-1992



I have been thinking a lot about the future, not specifically my future but our future. Life and the World.

The future of the world.. 

What will it be? 

       I hear broken conversations on the street, bits of telecasts, and people preaching for repentance at my own school. I see crumbling homes, polluted water, dusty air with no end in sight. I see this and yet, I keep passing it by, commenting and even writing about it. I try in many ways to make a difference, and I know I succeed. I make actions everyday to improve the quality of life, and our world. 

How many times have you commented on the state of our world? 

What have you seen that made you think twice about its condition?

When have you tried to make a difference?

There are many out there who do, have, and continue to fight. Their actions are commendable. Their will is absolute. Their drive....... is that of OUR world. They fight to keep it strong, even at the expense of themselves.  They continuously try to make it better, not just for themselves but for our future. It's impressive. Thinking about that makes my heart well, it fills me with a passion to fight a bigger cause. I am only one person, one man, with one will, strong and absolute. Together though, joined with the will of many, power grows. It gleams. One action at a time. One day at a time. One year at a time. One moment at a time. Hmm......Time. Time marches on, even if our future halts. Here's a riddle from a sweet ass book that I read as a boy.
This thing all things devours:
Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;
Gnaws iron, bites steel;
Grinds hard stones to meal;
Slays king, ruins town
And beats high mountain down.

We all have to try and change the world, make it better, keep it strong, all for the sake of our future. If we don't, who will?

It's time, for me to make a difference. It's time for you to make a difference. Maybe you already are, maybe you have and maybe you will.

Either way, It's Time.

Be well unto others, and yourselves.

JD

We are twice armed if we fight with faith.

Faith and doubt both are needed - not as antagonists, but working side by side to take us around the unknown curve.
--Lillian Smith


         I awoke this morning to a gleaming sun, chirping birds, and a familiar emptiness. Something that has followed me my entire life, I am constantly doing battle with. Sheer power of will can breakdown just about any obstacle or wall in your path. The belief in the ability and power of ones self, is the cornerstone of having tremendous will. The will and courage to face the dark, stand tall and know that no matter the outcome you will be victorious. The will to step into the darkness, trusting solely in faith, knowing that your path is guided. The will to embrace the the dark and even take a little bit of it into yourself. So, this familiar emptiness, let's talk about that.


          My entire life I have always wanted more. I have always wanted to do better, be better, achieve higher feats, chase after impossible dreams and goals, and make the world mine. I will push myself to the limit of my being to achieve a goal I find worth fighting for, no matter the detriment to myself. It is simply how I roll, and I like it. The issue with my headstrong and balls out philosophy, is a constant weighing, a strain on my faith, on my heart. I need to re-affirm my faith often,  believe in myself and my ability, and trust that GOD has my back covered. Call it the Grandest Leap of Faith. Even when things seem their darkest; will depleted, faith strained, heart weakened, mind weary. I lift my head to the LORD, and know it is where my help comes from. I Breathe in knowing, that I am shrouded in his white light and protection. I am twice armed, with the LORD at my side. I let his presence fill me and grow with warmth. The dark, or the uncertainty of the future, holds many chasms. There is only now, not when, for some who wander into the darkness, don't make it back. Even if you're only 24. Maybe that's part of my feeling of emptiness today, Life is intense. Make sure the people you love, the friends you cherish are close to you. Don't let them slip away because of time or fear, or being too busy.  Carpe Diem.  Make it yours, and those close to you. Life is as fragile as it is wonderful.

And together, we ALL leap into the darkness. 


R.I.P Linda Dowling. You will so totally be missed.  IU <3

"Oh, how precious time is! Blessed are those who know how to make good use of it. Oh, if only all could understand how precious time is, undoubtedly everyone would do his best to spend it in a praiseworthy manner!" - -Padre Pio

Faith has to do with things that are not seen and hope with things that are not at hand. 
--Thomas Aquinas 


All who call on God in true faith, earnestly from the heart, will certainly be heard, and will receive what they have asked and desired.  --Martin Luther


As your faith is strengthened you will find that there is no longer the need to have a sense of control, that things will flow as they will, and that you will flow with them, to your great delight and benefit.  ---Emmanuel Teney 

Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.
----Saint Augustine

He who has faith has... an inward reservoir of courage, hope, confidence, calmness, and assuring trust that all will come out well - even though to the world it may appear to come out most badly.
----B. C. Forbes

In the affairs of this world, men are saved not by faith, but by the want of it.
---Benjamin Franklin

That deep emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power, which is revealed in the incomprehensible universe, forms my idea of God. 
----Albert Einstein

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible. ----Thomas Aquinas

If patience is worth anything, it must endure to the end of time. And a living faith will last in the midst of the blackest storm.  ---Mohandas Gandhi

We are twice armed if we fight with faith.  ----Plato


They're my quotes for the day.

Be well unto others, and yourselves.

JD

Raise Your Glasses High!

I find myself sitting amongst glasses, all the time. Some half filled, some half empty, and others bone dry.



“Some people see the glass half full. Others see it half empty.
I see a glass that's twice as big as it needs to be.”
― George Carlin



              Now, these glasses were not always so, at one point they were quite full. They provided comfort, nurture, satisfaction and fulfillment.. They sit there now, stained from what it was that used to fill them, just waiting for some kind of refreshment. Something to make them have a purpose, to bring them back to their full glory. But the inevitable truth is that the glasses can not fill themselves, they need some kind of outside participation to bring that to fruition. The frustrating part is the glasses start to collect, to build, and it makes the task of rinsing them off and filling them again that much harder. That much more difficult.

          So how is it we fill these glasses back up, when what once filled them may no longer be appetizing or available? Some of the glasses will never be filled again, they had their own purpose and must be recycled, sometimes they are the hardest ones to give up. It is when we are able to accept this, that we find new glasses to fill, and old glasses that need a little tender loving care. We are able set the empty, stained glasses aside, knowing that what they once held was important. The task of finding new glasses to fill becomes less daunting, and we find that the uncertain is not so scary anymore, knowing that even if the glass were to spill, it can always be filled again. Maybe not with the same substance but, something even more intriguing. Intriguing, because we have taken it upon ourselves to explore, to experience, and learn. Take the old glasses that still have substance and find a way to nurture them back to health. Know that in time you will find a way to fill it, or a way to let it go.

Do not fear an empty glass, embrace it for what it was and recycle it. Do not fear change or uncertainty, know that the lesson lies in the chase for that truly delectable substance. Do not fear Life. It is truly in-fucking-credible. MY GOD, LOVE LIFE!!!!!! GET THE FUCK OUT THERE AND LOVE IT!!!! Do chase what scares you, because if something honestly frightens you it's because it holds real weight.

So, what am I getting at here?

         Say goodbye to what used to be or what was, embrace what is and what will come, know that the future holds no bounds. Most of all trust in those that love you for they will always trust in you. Love. Know that Love transcends everything and is constantly felt in the ether, if you are willing to share it. Find a new glass to share with someone else, and the adventure of filling it together. Share your glasses with eachother, and raise them high!


So, again what am I getting at?




The glass isn't half empty, or full. It's just waiting for a little refreshment.






That's my play on words for the day.



Be well unto others, and yourselves.

JD

Love it, Live it, Enjoy it

                                       LIFE    

   WHEW. Take a breath, relax, exhale and enjoy. LIFE. <--- Hey look the capitalized words say " Whew, Life." How many times have you found yourself saying or even paraphrasing those words.Yeah, me too. It's incredible, the facets and intricacies that life involves. ever changing opportunity to life altering devastation. You cant have one without the extreme. Life will pass you by, in an instant. Look left, then right, and how about up and down. Take a breath. Appreciate and enjoy what's around you. Weeks to years. There will always be Joy as there will always be sadness, Life. Okay, rambling aside let me continue. Thanks, you're a peach. So, okay here we go. Let's begin. Something I have always admired is the sky, especially in Autumn. You can't beat it.

                                                              Not as skies go at least. 

Okay maybe an insane party with trapeze artists, an elephant, dancing seals and tricycle riding midget cowboys......

And yes I mean midgets who coincidentally are cowboys.

                                 So basically the circus......on a night...in Autumn. LOVE.  

                                                     ( Insert Awesome Mental Image Here )

        Man, see I'm the kind of guy where if the sky is looking impeccable I will stop in my tracks, lie down and stare endlessly at the sky. It makes me think, it lets me dream like an canvas waiting for my inspiration. Possibility. My god, the possibility. Not to mention the beautiful temperature and the texture of fallen, rustling leaves under my body. miniature portraits of growth, of death and LIFE. Why, would you look at that! 


"Love Life." 


True appreciation of the world around us, it's simple beauties to its most majestic sunsets; creates a genuine passion for the smallest detail it offers. Hmmm I should quote that.

          Any who Listen, check this out. Tomorrow when you walk out of door, at whatever time wherever the heck you are, STOP and look around, even for a minute. Find something to appreciate, a mother walking with her children, the dew of morning, old friends eating in a cafe, the rise of the sun over trees and clouds of rouge, the silence and subtly of 3am. ENJOY it all. Check it out. It's fun. I promise. :-)  "Stop, Enjoy"?




"Like a river flows, surely to the sea
Darlin' so it goes, somethings are meant to be..

Take my hand take my whole life too for I cant help
falling in love with you

for I cant help falling in love with...... you."


                      Now, imagine a couple in their 80's, locked in a gaze, speaking into each others eyes, singing together as if it was the moment they fell in love. 

                                                            Talk about appreciation




Oh and as for the "Stop, Enjoy" part, it goes with the theme.




                                                LIFE
                                                                     

                                   ---Man, it's sweet. Love it, live it, enjoy it.---



Be well unto others, and yourselves.

JD